Saudi Arabia registers 35 MERS cases

Saudi Arabia registered 35 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) corona virus cases in 15 days, of which 28 developed the infection at health facilities, officials said on Sunday.

Although the MERS corona virus cases are not anymore considered a high health risk like before, the infection could be fatal for those with poor health or chronic diseases, Xinhua news agency reported.

The country has registered 1,577 cases since 2012, including 672 deaths.

Infection control consultant Mohammed Abdulrahman highlighted the need for more awareness on infection control measures at health facilities as most of the new cases could have been prevented.

He urged the elderly to avoid visiting patients at hospitals or be directly associated with camels which are the main source of the virus, because of their weak immune systems.

--IANS

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